Chapter 86: A New Plan is Out!
Su Jingge took a deep breath and said, "This is my fault. I failed to double-check the measurements, and I will take responsibility for that."
An Wanyu looked at Li Jingyi: "Your Majesty, I wonder if you have read my proposal? I clearly stated that there are three canals to choose from, and the directions of those three canals are different from those of Su Jingge."
"If Your Majesty thinks digging a canal won't work, there's only one solution now: dig a tunnel using my plan and divert the water to the tunnel!"
These words caused an uproar in the audience.
Xie Mo stepped forward, shouting excitedly, "Absolutely not! Digging a tunnel would require a huge amount of manpower, materials, and resources. Although it could solve the immediate crisis, it's just to divert a flood; there's no need to dig a tunnel!"
Xiao Yinhe also stood up, feeling that this matter was too outrageous.
He cupped his hands in greeting: "Inspector, the previous plan may not work. If we can't dig that canal, we can find a way to dig another one. But how do we dig a tunnel? Where can we start to build this tunnel?"
"Isn't this a joke?"
"If the excavation collapses, it could cause a landslide!"
An Wanyu frowned and stepped forward to angrily rebuke, "Prefect Xiao! Don't forget, you are only the acting prefect now, not the real prefect. You don't have the final say in Yuxiang County!"
Xiao Yinhe's face turned ashen. Just as he was about to speak, he felt someone pull him.
It's Su Jingge.
She gestured for him to step back.
She looked at An Wanyu: "According to the princess's wishes, is it absolutely necessary to dig this tunnel? Can you guarantee that there won't be any problems?"
An Wanyu curled her lips into a smile, her eyes filled with mockery: "Until you come up with a new solution, is there anything better than mine?"
"As long as you do as I say, there won't be any problems!"
Su Jingge shook her head: "Indeed not." She then asked, "But where do you plan to start digging this tunnel?"
An Wanyu glanced at Zhao Zhou.
Zhao Zhou understood what he meant and stepped forward, saying, "I heard that the Xishan mine collapsed. Why don't we start digging from there?"
Su Jingge frowned; it was clear this person had come prepared.
"No, even though the mine collapsed, it was still used for mining. How can it be used to dig tunnels?"
Zhao Zhou raised his eyes: "Assistant Su, the mine has already been excavated to a greater extent. We only need to dig half of the tunnel to complete the entire project. Isn't this a ready-made tunnel for flood discharge?"
Su Jingge clenched her fists. If the mine allowed them to extract the ore, she would be unable to collect it, and how could the city be built?
They were mining, and then a flood hit, causing the mine to collapse. They could have used the ore, but they couldn't save it, so they might as well make use of it!
They did it on purpose!
Despicable, petty, and despicable!
"What, it seems Assistant Minister Su disagrees?" Zhao Zhou smiled. "Assistant Minister Su can't come up with a good solution, and he's stopping others. What does that mean? You're disregarding the people!"
"If there are any further casualties, it's your fault; you've stopped us from carrying out flood relief efforts!"
Another argument ensued.
Li Jingyi shrugged: "Alright, stop arguing. In the face of disaster, we should put the greater good before personal interests and follow Princess Yongzhu's plan for now."
Su Jingge's lips twitched, her eyes sharp, but so far there really was no good solution, and she needed to come up with a good one as soon as possible.
Otherwise, once this mine is started, it'll be all over!
Su Jingge cupped her hands in greeting: "I obey your command!"
Xiao Yingge was extremely resentful, his face contorted with anger, and he found An Wanyu increasingly unpleasant to look at.
Is she here to bring him down?
Is this someone from the Xiao family?
Good heavens!
But he was helpless, since the inspector had already given the order.
He had no choice but to comply, so he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "I obey your command!"
-
The group went out the door.
Zhao Zhou sat in the carriage, laughing smugly.
"They thought the flood was God's help, but the mine collapsed. Even if Su Jingge knew it was him, she had no evidence."
"Even if there is evidence, her plan has problems. Now that mine has become her new plan, and once the tunnel is dug, the previous traces of the mine will be erased!"
"Haha, if Heaven won't destroy me, then Heaven won't destroy me either!"
Fan Tong massaged his legs: "Congratulations, sir, haha."
-
The three men were plotting in a restaurant.
Everyone in the restaurant is saying that the mine can't be recovered and is now under the control of the princess.
What should we do next?
Xiao Yinhe was in a panic.
Xie Mo studied documents by lamplight.
Xiao Yinhe was, after all, a military general. He could handle most matters, big and small, but he really didn't understand or know anything about plans!
Even if they wanted to make a move, they didn't know where to start. Now they could only rely on Su Jingge and Xie Mo.
If it were a military expedition, he could easily capture the enemy.
Only Su Jingge remained silent, relentlessly seeking a solution.
She believed that things would work themselves out in the end, and all she needed to do was work hard.
"Assistant Su, what should we do? They're already digging a tunnel over there."
Su Jingge frowned solemnly: "I have changed the previous plan. If the progress is fast, they are digging the tunnel. It seems that the tunnel that has been half-finished is faster than ours. However, the part of the tunnel that has not been dug is not so easy to dig."
"Compared to digging tunnels, digging ditches is definitely the better choice!"
That's true; it gave them renewed hope.
Xiao Yinhe said, "Miss Su, you are truly a brilliant person. But how should we change this channel?"
Su Jingge picked up the revised plan in her hand and looked at it again and again: "We just need to take a detour."
These few words left everyone speechless.
Xie Mo stared at the proposal for a long time without saying a word.
The group exchanged bewildered glances, too tense to breathe.
Suddenly, Xie Mo shouted, "It's done! It's done!"
"The plan is done! This is a great detour; it goes around the princess's house."
"That area is lower in elevation, making it easier to dig!"
Su Jingge had reviewed the map again and combined it with the original owner's father's experience before he died to arrive at this conclusion.
"Ha ha!"
Hope was restored to everyone.
"Immediately," Su Jingge ordered, "Issue the new plan and implement it from this day forward!"
Everyone was as energetic as if they had been injected with chicken blood; even though it was midnight, no one felt sleepy.
The group lit torches, put on straw hats, and wore grass clothes before setting off.
The commotion was quite loud, disturbing the sleeping residents.
The torches stretched far and wide, forming a long dragon that illuminated the rugged road in the dead of night.
Everyone was on high alert and full of energy.
-
Three days later.
Su Jingge's new plan—to dig a canal around the problem—has worked!
Watching as a long ditch was dug out.
The sweat and blood of the crowd mingled together.
Previously, it was said that even if a new plan was proposed, it would likely be in vain.
Unexpectedly, Su Jingge still surpassed them.
Even as dawn broke, no one showed any sign of stopping.
Unfortunately, in the afternoon, Zhao Zhou received a bombshell message.
"My lord, my lord, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"
Fan Tong ran in, losing one of his shoes in the process.
They were so panicked they looked like they'd lost their souls.
"What kind of behavior is this, all this rushing around like this? Spit it out!" Zhao Zhou said.
"Sir, the people from the West Mine just reported that during the tunnel excavation, it seems they have hit groundwater, with a large amount of water gushing out, and it looks like the entire tunnel is about to collapse!"
"Sir, you must go and see! People are dead!"
Zhao Zhouteng sat up abruptly from his chair.
He grabbed him by the collar: "Say that again!"
“Last night we discovered that we couldn’t dig any deeper, so the princess ordered that the original route be slightly altered, shifted…”
Zhao Zhou's eyes were bloodshot: "How much has it shifted?"
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